Boatowner's Mechanical and Electrical Manual

The boatowner's foremost troubleshooting guide, now better than ever If it's on a boat and it has screws, wires, or moving parts, it's covered in Boatowner's Mechanical and Electrical Manual. When you leave the dock with this book aboard, you have at your fingertips the best and most comprehensive advice on: Battery technologies 12- and 24-volt DC systems Corrosion, bonding, and lightning protection Generators, inverters, and battery chargers Electric motors and electric lights Marine electronics, antennas, and RFI Diesel engines Transmissions, shaft brakes, and propellers Refrigeration and air-conditioning Tanks, plumbing, and through-hulls Pumps and watermakers Steering, autopilots, and wind vanes Stoves and heaters Winches, windlasses, and bow thrusters Spars, rigging, and roller reefing "If you had to choose a single book to help you assess and maintain your boat gear, this would be it."—Practical Sailor "A truly remarkable bible. . . . This book is the best of its kind."—WoodenBoat "A major achievement. . . . It would be hard to imagine anything going wrong on a boat that couldn't be figured out with this book."—Sailing World "The world's best technical reference and troubleshooting book."—Sailing Inland and Offshore "This manual will be of lasting interest to anyone who wants to know how their boat works, what has gone wrong when it doesn't, and how it could be fixed."—Classic Boat "Without becoming too complex, the book covers almost every imaginable mechanical or electrical matter in the marine environment."—Work Boat World "Calder lives what he writes, . . . [and] what he offers . . . is practical solutions to problems associated with increasingly complex marine systems. . . . [A] bargain for anyone in the construction and repair side of the boat business."—Professional Boatbuilder

Table of Contents:
List of Troubleshooting Charts List of Tables Preface and Acknowledgments to the Third Edition Preface and Acknowledgments to the Second Edition Introduction Chapter 1. Establishing a Balanced Battery-Powered Electrical System Introduction Batteries Getting Down to Specifics Putting the Pieces Together Summary: A Balanced System Chapter 2. Electrical Systems for Energy-Intensive Boats Additional Energy Sources Dual-Voltage DC Systems Fuel Cells, Higher-Voltage DC Boats, and Electric Propulsion Chapter 3. Maintaining and Troubleshooting a Battery-Powered Electrical System Batteries Alternators Voltage Regulators Diodes Chapter 4. Understanding and Troubleshooting Electrical Circuits Basic Concepts and Measurements DC Circuits AC Circuits Proper Electrical Installations Chapter 5. Corrosion, Bonding, Lightning Protection, and Grounding Corrosion Bonding and Cathodic Protection Lightning Protection Grounding Chapter 6. Battery Chargers, Inverters, Wind and Water Generators, and Solar Panels Battery Chargers Inverters Wind and Water Generators Solar Panels Chapter 7. AC Generators, DC Generators, Electric Motors (DC and AC), and Electric Lights AC Generators DC Generators Electric Motors Electric Lights Chapter 8. Marine Electronics: Antennas and Radio Grounds, Electromagnetic and Radio Frequency Interference, and Saving Soaked Equipment Marine Electronics Antennas and Radio Grounds Electromagnetic and Radio Frequency Interference Saving Soaked Equipment Chapter 9. Diesel Engines: Operation and Maintenance, Troubleshooting, and Winter Layup Operation and Maintenance Troubleshooting Part 1: Failure to Start Troubleshooting Part 2: Operating Problems Winter Layup and Recommissioning Chapter 10. From Transmission to Propeller Transmissions and Shaft Brakes Connecting a Transmission to a Propeller Shaft Shaft Seals Struts, Bearings, and Propellers Chapter 11. Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning CFCs and the Ozone Hole Balancing Refrigeration Needs with Boat Use Air-Conditioning Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning: Maintenance, Troubleshooting, and Repair Charging and Topping-Off Procedures Chapter 12. Tanks, Plumbing, Toilets, and Through-Hull Fittings Tanks and Fittings Plumbing Marine Toilets (Heads) Through-Hulls and Seacocks Chapter 13. Pumps and Watermakers Pumps Pump Switches Watermakers Chapter 14. Steering Systems, Autopilots, and Wind Vanes Steering Systems Autopilots Wind Vane Self-Steering Chapter 15. Stoves, Cabin Heaters, Gas-Powered Water Heaters, and Lanterns Gas Alcohol, Kerosene, and Diesel Appliances Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Chapter 16. Blocks, Winches, Windlasses, and Bow Thrusters Blocks Winches Windlasses Bow Thrusters Chapter 17. Spars, Standing Rigging, and Roller Reefing Spars Standing Rigging Roller Reefing and Furling Glossary Appendix A: Checklist of Winterizing Procedures Appendix B: Freeing Frozen Parts and Fasteners Appendix C: Tools and Spare Parts Appendix D: Useful Tables Index

About the Author :
Nigel Calder is widely acknowledged as the world's foremost writer on boat systems maintenance. He is a frequent contributor to boating magazines in the United States and Britain.